Aug 29, 1789 Home Resource Aug 31, 1789
Revised May 23 2021
| H | K | F | Courses | Winds | Remarks Sunday 30th August 1789 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North & NbE | SSE | Fresh Breezes and Hazy Wr Running through Streights Mangaryn Keeping the Main on Board At ½ past 2 past the narrows about ¼ Mile wide Many Islands now laid off the Flores Coast away to the N.E. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | 2 | " | NbE | SSW | At 5 The Westermost of the Flores Isles bore East 1⅓ Mile The Northermost Isle on that Coast NE¼E 4 Leagues The S.E. part of the Streights S½W 5 or 6 Leagues - The Extremes of Mid channel Isles S½W to SWbS the West extreme being Shut on with the Eastermost of Rotten Isles — The Northermost of Rotten Isles NNW½W 4 Miles | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | 5 | " | NNW | SbE | |||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | 5 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | 5 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | 5 | 2 | At Sun set a very high Mountainous Island opened with north part of Rotten Isles at WNW At 12 Fresh Gales. Large Fires on the north part of Rotten Island and others on the Flores side | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 5 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 5 | 6 | WbN | SSE | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 5 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | 5 | 2 | " | " | Saw The Island Goenong Apy SSW 4 Leagues | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | 5 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | 5 | 3 | West | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | 5 | " | " | " | Fresh Gales and Hazy Goenong Apy SSW to SbE 4 Leagues | ||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | 3 | " | " | " | Moderate and hazy. Goenong Apy SSE½E distant 4 or 5 Leagues and [Buma?] Sound SbW | ||||||||||||||||||
| 89 | Meridn.Alt. Center | 73°..12′ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 446 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 535 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
By One OClock I got close under the Flores Land and the Wind freshening I enterd the Streights without difficulty. About N½E was the Course through and the Flores shows without Islands with many Bays & Harbours. A Flat Rocky Islet laying to the Eastward of Mid Channel Isles very conspicuously forms the passage with the Main and is the pass you are to take, but in advancing towards it what before is taken to be the Main will break into a Number of Islands through which the Tides run very rapidly. It is therefore to be remembered you take none of those passes if it can be helped but through that only which is formed by the Rocky Islet (on either side of it) is the most convenient and safe.
By this time you are about half through the Streights innumerable Islands lay on your Starboard hand to the NE and many others to the West'd but you are now in a clear open space and the Rocky Islet will be on with the SE part of the Streights in that direction you are to bring it as soon as possible and it will carry you the fair pass to Sea
I could get no Soundings in any part between 20 & 30 fathoms, there are however many Bays and Good Harbours into which a Vessel might get on the Flores side but the Country is dreadfully burnt up and desolate. About the Islands also are sandy Bays where a Vessel might Anchor if necessity requir'd it, yet to say the best for these Streights it is but a very hazardous pass for a Ship.
I have made a Sketch sufficient to show the want of tolerable exactness in the dutch Maps. much cannot however be expected as I could only get the bear'gs by my hand with a common Steering Compass.
It has not been in my power to observe the Variation on this Coast with more exactness than is necessary to steer a Course; but I believe it to be so little that It will cause no great error by being totally neglected and have therefore considered the true and Magnetic bearings to be the same.
Rotten Island as it is called by the dutch is as high land as the Isle Flores and its extent is about 6 Leagues from North to South.
What little I saw of Streights Sapi makes it a far preferable pass for Ships To Streights Mangaryn, but after all I think a much more eligible track is neglected by Ships from Coupang which is round the East end of Flores between it and the West end of Solo[r]. Yet strange it is that they will sometimes take Streights Solo in the West Monsoon bound to Coupang when undoubtedly Streights Sapi is the most proper and convenient. For the Course from Coupang to East end of Flores is W½N and to Streights Sapi WNW. But what makes Streights Solo better than Sapi is that there is Anchorage and altho' it is a longer Streight yet I am told Ships may safely anchor for the Night if it is necessary.
On the East end of Flores is a Portuguese Settlement and here it forms the narrowest part of the Streights.
Aug 29, 1789 Home Resource Aug 31, 1789